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Having a family member with a mental illness, in my case a mother  it is equivalent to taking care of a minor child, when they/she has "relapsed"  I understand the fear and the potential loss of civil rights, yet there are times, when commitment is necessary. As a child, she was a serious danger to me and my  sisters, this is no exaggeration. I listened as the mother express disappointment by the lack of holistic care in the facility where her son is housed. If we are serious as a society in wanting to provide the best care to those who need to be involuntary committed then we need to demand more from the state hospitals, we need to determine and create ways to ensure that the hospitals are doing more than just pushing medications. And we need to  be willing to fund it. If my mother, who currently is experiencing a relapse got to a point in which the intervention that I and her therapist are engaging in, failed to stabilize her and she became a danger to herself, I would seek commitment if there were no more options. I have had to go to court for my mother to prevent a commitment, about 15 years ago. Its a very sad experience. But the options that were available to her then, to prevent the commitment are not available today. Every situation is different, and despite the protestations of the advocate for voluntary commitment only, he is not really living in  the reality of all of us who are caregivers to our parents and children. His experience is valuable yet he cannot ignore that sometimes involuntary commitment its the only option when all others have been exhausted.

posted 2 years, 12 months ago
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